Shadeslayer and the Shadowrider
by SpartanDelta2
Summary: OC. AU to Brisingr. Our Shadeslayer meets a Shadowrider. In the coming final battle, friendships will be tested and lives given in the quest to dethrone the horrid Galbatorix. A sacrifice will be made, and a dear Rider will be broken. Rated M for violence.


The Spine contains a dark forest, full of beasts and ancient secrets. Eragon knew it would make sense as an outpost for the Varden; they were spreading, gaining more followers, supporters, and soldiers in their bid to dethrone and kill the false King Galbatorix. Eragon knew that with only one Rider supporting them, the Varden was sorely outmatched against the Empire. Galbatorix was far more experienced in the slaying of Riders. The thought passed bitterly through Eragon's mind as he came to a clearing. A hill rose above him, small compared to the mountains that surrounded it, speckled with what he assumed would be an expanse of caverns.

Saphira landed behind him suddenly, her body tensed. He unsheathed his sword slowly, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to see what had her so alert. She spotted a large shadow above the tree line just as he saw one at the entrance to one of the caves, and both leapt towards them. Eragon moved slowly into the caves, looking around as best he could in the dark. Ahead, there was a faint glow of light, and he headed for it, his curiosity getting the better of him. He came into a cave with a small opening in the ceiling, through which poured in a small waterfall. It dropped into a pool, which appeared to be shallower at the end closest to the entrance. He was momentarily awed by the sight and took a hesitant step forward, as if by his movement the entire scene would disappear. He was brought back to his senses by the icy chill of steel against his throat, pressing lightly. He reacted without thought, swiping the offending blade away with his own and spinning to face the threat: a smallish figure in dark clothes, with a hood and a swath of fabric covering the nose and mouth.

He lunged, swinging his blade towards the figure's head, and the two battled around the edge of the pool. The mysterious enemy fought well, able to block his swings and jabs. In the back of his mind, Eragon was aware of Saphira becoming frustrated with her own chase. He continued his attack, steering his enemy around towards the deeper section of the pool. Using all of his strength, he struck at the enemy; they were unbalanced and fell back into the deeper portion of the pool, the splash resounding. To his mild surprise, the now sopping wet foe kept a hold of their sword as they swam back to the surface. The hood had fallen back and the cloth was yanked away from the face to allow for better breathing, leaving Eragon to stare, unsure, at whom he had just bested.

Deep green eyes glared up at him from a distinctively feminine face, with high cheekbones and pink lips. The skin was pale, though nothing unhealthy, and the hair was a unique shade of auburn. He might've found her attractive, we're she not soaked to the bone and looking upon him as if her only wish was for him to lay dead at her feet.

"What are you waiting for?" She growled; he tilted his head in confusion and she scoffed. "Either Galbatorix wants me dead or captured. Given our history, I'd much rather the former. So finish it!" She spat the last sentence at him, and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He felt Saphira in his mind, turning to return to the clearing, smugly hiding from him what she had found. The young woman's glare intensified as he guffawed.

"We do not serve Galbatorix." He finally replied. "Quite the opposite, as we are allied with the Varden." He sheathed his sword and offered his hand with a small smile. "Any enemy of the bastard King is a friend of ours." She eyed the hand suspiciously before accepting it gently. He pulled her out of the pool carefully, making sure she was steady on her feet. She pulled away sharply, sheathing her own sword, and for a moment, he could've sworn the blade was just a tad too dark; he surmised it was due to the darkness of the cavern. She spun and quickly headed for the entrance from whence he had come, and he hurried to catch up to her.

"So, Rider, what are you called?" She asked. Her voice was soft and it sat well on his ears. He turned to see her studying him carefully, easily navigating the uneven floor of the cave.

"I am Eragon Shadeslayer, Argetlam of the Varden." He said, perhaps a bit too proudly. Her eyes widened only a tiny amount, though her face remained impassive. She turned to face the entrance again as they neared it. Saphira had not yet returned, but he knew she was close.

"I owe you my thanks, Rider." Her voice came suddenly and he glanced at her, his eyebrow raised. "That is, if the Shade you speak of was in fact Durza." She gave him an inquisitive glance and he nodded. "Good. Durza deserved a most painful death. I am only sad I had not had the mind to thrust my own sword into his blackened heart." He was slightly taken aback by the tone she had adopted while discussing the Shade. Surely, she had not missed such an opportunity? They slid down the embankment leading to the cavern quickly.

"And what do we call you?" He asked as Saphira landed in front of them. He expected awe at the sight of such a fearsome beast, yet this girl did not even bat an eyelash. Instead, she turned to look up at the mountain, as if expecting something. He could feel Saphira's amusement at his confusion over the girl's reaction to his dragon.

"I am called Ilosia Shadowrider." He turned the name over in his head, but before he could ask just what sort of shadows she rode, a hulking black mass shot over the mountain, rocketing towards them. A great gust of wind kicked up dust into Eragon's eyes, and he had to shield them from the gritty onslaught. He opened them as the wind died down, and was greeted by the sight of a great black dragon. Ilosia was already in the saddle, strapping herself on in much the same way he did on his. "And this is Thandul, my dragon." The beast lowered his head, coming to eye level with Eragon. The scales were not shiny, instead being more muted and the entire visage was more fierce even than Thorn, Murtaug's dragon. As the eye passed over him, Eragon saw that it was a light teal, an interesting contrast. Ilosia sat astride, her legs brushing against what appeared to be great saddlebags on either side. "I assume you have more questions, Shadeslayer. You will have to bring me to your Varden to get the answers you seek." She gave him what appeared to be a patient look, and it took him a minute to realize that she was waiting for him. He mounted quickly, and soon they were in the air, soaring towards Surda in the south.

After some time of riding, he felt a presence brush against his mind, and he shut it down quickly. I didn't take him long to figure out it was Ilosia, but he was wary about letting her in. Instead, he nudged Saphira's side, trying to convey to her his wanting to go to Farthen Dur, rather than Surda, so as to test this new Rider. If Ilosia noticed anything, she said nothing, and even pulled away from her attempts at his thoughts. It took them a day to reach the mountain range, and once there, Eragon prepped a test in his mind. They landed at a mountain near the Dwarf-home, and he approached her.

"Ilosia, before I take you to the Varden, you must understand that I have to test you. We cannot simply bring anyone to the leaders against Galbatorix." He gave what he hoped was a friendly smile as she eyed him suspiciously. "Please, just a few questions answered in the ancient language." She seemed to take the time to think it over before nodding. He sighed, and began in the ancient language with the questions. "_How did you come across Thandul's egg?"_

_ "I cannot lie, Argetlam." _She sighed. "_The egg was given to me by Galbatorix after the Elves stole Saphira's egg. When he had learned it had hatched, he frantically searched for a Rider for the remaining two eggs."_ Eragon was impressed with her mastery of the ancient language. "_I was a slave in Uru'baen at the time, and he had sent me to fetch the eggs for one of his soldiers. I was chosen, much to his chagrin. He trained me nonetheless, using his magic to make Thandul bigger and me stronger. He continued to try and find a Rider for the red egg, preferably a male." _She scoffed, and Eragon could have sworn that Thandul gave a deep chuckle. "_Once I was strong enough, I ran, taking quite an amount of things with me. It took some time breaking his enchantments on us and the stuff we took, but we eventually did."_ He nodded, and thought over what his second question should be.

"_What did you take from him?"_ This question was more for his curiosity than anything else. She looked slightly uncomfortable.

"_I would rather not say, but rather show your leaders, as it may seem a bit unbelievable. I promise, there is nothing that will endanger you or your cause." _He accepted her answer, and moved to mount without a word. She copied his actions, and soon they were again flying in the direction of Surda.

**A/N: So? Am I still living up to your expectations? If you're reading this, and you're waiting for an Awaken update, I apologize profusely. I have not been too inspired on how to continue. With that, please review and thanks for reading my chapter 1!**


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